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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Hebrews 12 uses a phrase "run with patience". (Hebrews is in the New Testament for all you Bible scholars.) Cycling is no different from running. Patience is key. For starters, you will have to use patience if you want to ride more than 30 minutes. I read an article today about a cyclist who loves hill climbing because long rides bore him. His idea was to get the workout in 30 minutes or less. But we can't just climb hills, we have to ride with patience. That means putting in the miles. And that takes patience.

If you manage to ride long distances with patience, you also need patience NOT to ride. That's right. It's not just about riding your bicycle, it's about recovery as well. If you don't allow your body to gain from the effort you put into your training, you will soon fall victim to over training, and risk injury and disease - exactly the opposite effect you were aiming for. So not riding is important, and that takes patience too.

Finally, continuing to train past the plateau requires patience. No matter how good your program is, you will experience a phase where there is no growth. You aren't getting faster, stronger, or better. It isn't any easier. You aren't improving. It might be some time before you move past this. Patience. Ride your bike with patience. Improvement will come. Waiting for improvement takes patience.

Cycling the second half of you life will require patience. 50 years can't be lived today or even in this decade. Patience. You will have to cycle the second half one mile at a time; and live one day at a time. This, too, takes patience.